COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTIONTimed to coincide with the holiday season, a very special lager is brewed with honey, oranges, and spices. This beer uses two pounds of honey per pound of malt in its brew, making it an exceptional fortified holiday specialty beer which will keep for years. The spices and hops balance the sweetness of the honey and malt to give this lightly hopped beer its perfect flavor.
Alcohol ABV varies from 9.5% to 11% each year

I knew exactly what was getting into as soon as took the first whiff. Is it sweet? yes, it is. Is it heavy? Yes, it is that, also. Does it become cloying and undrinkable about halfway through the bottle? Why, yes, yes it does. It does smells nice, however.

poured a nice reddish brown color with a medium whitish head. aroma is christmasy but stale...stale cinnamon, nutmeg, mulled cider, some citrus. flavor is of pine and cinnamon with some other muddled xmas spices...tastes like a christmas candle smells. mouthfeel is a bit silky but the finish has too much alcohol flavor...

Small head, off-white in color. Body is a dark amber... more brown. Light malty aroma covered by a pleasant spicy (nutmeg?) nose. Light bitter hops are covered by sweet malt and spices. Not too bad, but still not what I like to drink. Everything did seem to balance nicely.

My batch is certainly past its prime, so this rating might not be totally fair--however, it may help show how this brew ages. Smells of moldy nutmeg, but it must have been bright and festive three months ago. Rich brownish-amber pour with some head, lasting almost a minute. Body is decomposing into separate nutmeg, honey, malt, and hop--all in proportion, but not blending together well at this point. Mouthfeel is malty and a bit thick, finishing in an explosion of large bubbles. I’ll keep an eye out for this one next November and see what the new batch is like.
UPDATE: I just checked the stats on ratings by month, and, sure enough, this lager has run its course. Try it next year.

Had this beer on 12/22/2002. Aroma is spicy with the scent of Christmas. Color is a heavy orange with a dense fog of floty shit. Carbonation and head are good Taste rich, sweet and spicy. Starting with full medium body that goes down with a rich heavy feel. Finish comes in strong with a rich sweet taste that is backed by a strong spicy flavor. Although I like a nice rich winter brew this one seems to over do it a bit too much. It is a good example of what some of the other brewers should be going for when they make a weak winter.

Bottle thanks to bu11zeye. The look is clear, amberish in color, and has an off white head. The smell s honey, spices, fruits. The taste is sweet, very sweet, fruits, honey, spices. Sort of artificial.

Unbalanced lots of nutmeg, and pumpkin flavor. If this is trying to be like Anchor Steam Special Ale it falls well short. Mainly taste the alcohol in it and it does pack a pretty good punch, Wouldn’t seek this out was not impressed with their Pumpkin beer when I had it years ago. Nice try but it misses the mark.

12oz bottle. Pours a cloudy, brown-amber colored body with a very thin, light brown head that dissipates immediately and leaves a light lacing. Aroma is sweet and spicy with a thick caramel malt backing and plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg. Some orange peel, ginger bread cookies, and syrupy honey. Flavor is pretty messy. Lots of caramel, brown sugar, and ginger bread cookies with way too much spicing. Off-balance cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and ginger with only a hint of orange peel. Finishes dry and sticky with a lengthy aftertaste. Full, messy, sticky body with a flat carbonation. Overall, a pretty bad beer. No balance whatsoever. Spicy and overly sweet.

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